I'd love to know how you think I should answer Bob Bly's letter in this post. - Robert Scoble

i don't get this discussion. Scoble does all the stuff he does cause it's his job. It's like asking a dude who reviews books if all that book reading is a time waster. - Stan Schroeder from twhirl

Stan: I was doing it long before it was my job. I've been playing with new things ever since I helped unbox an Apple II in my Jr. High in 1977. - Robert Scoble

we are doing all of these stuff because we like to do. - ahmet bulent

. - Stan Schroeder from twhirl

damn twhirl. Anyway, @Scoble: then it was your hobby. Same thing. A guy who's not interested in all this stuff should simply pick and choose what he likes and forget about the rest - Stan Schroeder from twhirl

Totally agree to the meaning of goals and motivation. That's why people are different and everyone is unique. - Carsten R from Alert Thingy

Stan: I think it goes deeper than that. People who aren't looking to learn new things bug me for some reason. It's like they are celebrating their ignorance and their willingness to stay ignorant. I had a father-in-law who loved telling me he never touched a computer and never would. I found that fascinating. - Robert Scoble

Its not his (scobles) job unless he wants it to be his job. I think in Bobs case he might be unproductive if he was engaging in all those activities that Scoble spends his time on. It all depends on what you want to get out of your day/life? It all depends on who you are and what you do. I thin what bob is asking might apply to him or people who are not directly ingrained in creating technology. - Akshay Dodeja

I'll give you a simple analogy. Let's imagine that you're a car fanatic. You tweak your car every day, and it goes faster. You get to work at least 10 minutes faster each day, however, all the tweaking you do takes many hours of your time. A regular guy just sits in his car and drives, and goes to the mechanic when something goes wrong. Who's right and who's wrong here? No one, I say. - Stan Schroeder from twhirl

I've been answering this question a lot lately. Why is twitter better than my message board? Why not just use email? Who has time for that stuff? In my opinion, the fact that they are asking is just another sign that it is becoming more accepted. When my 85 year old grandmother knows what Facebook is, and why my 65 year old mom living in BFE knows what MySpace is, that is the definition of mainstream. - Robert Peterson

Btw, the nickname i sometimes use, "frantic" comes from my frantic desire to learn everything there is to know about a topic (i get this 2 times per week at least). So I get where you're coming from. But, not everyone is like that. - Stan Schroeder from twhirl

Stan: I understand that, but that's not what I'm talking about. I drive a car and don't care about tinkering with it, taking it apart, and all that, but I'm not going to celebrate my ignorance of it. If someone says "hey, here's a way to get more enjoyment out of your car" I'll at least listen and see if it interests me. Even if it doesn't, I'm not going to celebrate the fact that I'm ignorant. Like "I'll never see why we need Hybrid cars, my Hummer works just fine." - Robert Scoble

Good analogy, Stan. Although if you are tweaking your car, most likely you enjoy doing that. Even though you are loosing "productivity time" while tweaking you are expanding your knowledge. That knowledge has a worth to you as a car tweaker and would be worth nothing to another person. As you said tho no one is right or wrong. Just depends on how you look at it :) - Akshay Dodeja

@Scoble: Well, some people just go through life without knowing anything about anything. Don't think you can change that, either (;. - Stan Schroeder from twhirl

This is very normal for those who did not discover the potential of social networks, or whether the same technology. I live here and in Latin America is very common that everyone do the same question as Bob, but you have to have a lot of patience to explain the possibilities that the experience provides. The examples you gave were very good to try to explain to Bob and the list can continue. - Cesar Sanchez

Stan: a more accurate analogy is I come over with my new car that has GPS and a navigation system and you run on and on about how you'll never own a car with a GPS or a navigation system. I just don't like hanging around people like that. I guess we have Amish who still drive around in horse and carriage for a reason, though, but I won't choose to hang around with them, sorry if that makes me a jerk. I just don't like people who celebrate remaining in the past. - Robert Scoble

@Scoble: those same people who run on and on about not trying new things will buy those same things when they read it in the newspapers. Capitalism: replacing innovative thinking since 19th century. - Stan Schroeder from twhirl

I don't think I can improve on the original post (at all) but I follow these things to pursue my ambitions. It's that simple. And my ambitions (video game design) require that I stay current with the times. I just happen to have a blast doing it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find out what Flickr is. - Avery Tingle

Bob is sadly very typical in my limited experience. It's like some people are proud of being and remaining ignorant. They have no curiousity and are stuck in their old ways. I'm a scientist; I love finding new things and simply cannot fathom why other people aren't equally fascinated. - Sally Church

Robert, i think you are being untypically nasty to good old BOB BLY. by the end of your long blog post you might of well called him a beer drinking TV watching ignorant slob. he says: -------"Can you help an old guy from the old school understand what he’s missing? - P.S. Your column is well written and there are obviously a legion of people who get all this stuff. I’d like to see if I could become one of them or at least understand what all the fuss is about."------- i don't think you answered him... - djp

Your post says it all. Thanks. My experience as someone coming from the non-tech world is that I need to defend the amount of time I spend in social networking on a daily basis. As an artist, I see this is THE new medium, not sure how it will manifest new work but very sure this is it. And that excites me and keeps me listening, talking when I think I have something to contribute, but present most days. Some of my friends don't get it and most don't participate. Oh well. More will be revealed. ;-) - Mary Anne Davis

djp72: fair enough. So, put yourself into my shoes. How would you answer it? - Robert Scoble

i think you took it too personally when BOB BLY says "I don’t have any of it — for that matter, I don’t own a Blackberry, iPod, wireless laptop, or even a cell phone — and I get along fine without them."------- your rant doesn't actually prove your point, if i put myself in Bob's beer stained shoes for a second, i'm sure he's sitting there going "i was right.... this is all about nothing...." - djp

djp72: again. One more time. Answer the damn question then. How would you answer it? Stop attacking me and answer the question! - Robert Scoble

one last point Robert, imagine if Bob was your uncle, or old high school mate, or someone you knew, i'm sure you wouldn't end up being all sarcastic and calling him ignorant. i'm sure you'd take your time and explain and answer his questions... sorry for the long comment out of the blue, it just struck me as a tad sooky..... - djp

djp72: again with the attack. Actually, when people get all Luddite on me I usually just walk away because I've learned long ago that you'll never convince someone to join you by fighting with them. They usually come around and if they don't, well, there's that photo on my blog to remind you what happens eventually. I really wish you'd answer the question yourself. - Robert Scoble

Mary Ann: Well said, that sums up my experience with my biotech peers too - they just don't get it and I spend a lot of time explaining it to them, to little avail. You have to wait for them to get it and the penny to drop. - Sally Church

The letter was a bit weird coming from a guy who has as a url www.bly.com. A 3 letter .com url? sounds as though he is extremely wealthy or way ahead of the game to me! - Geoff

Mr. Bob points are perfectly valid, but the question is if Robert is the right person he should address them to. ;-) - Peter

It's not all about quantifiably productive experiences for everyone, in fact personal progress seems to come when people just do their thing, find their groove..... and if Bob prefers to find his groove without engaging with the Twitters and Flickrs of the world then I say - good luck, enjoy your free time (probably alot of it spent waiting for the post)....if on the otherhand like me productive means immediacy, fulfillment, collaborative insights then you can't do much better than the web (and said apps) right now...not right, not wrong, just whatever floats your boat... - Mia Walczak

Scoble, you write a blog that is read by thousands. You answered your own question! How would WE respond to Bob? HA! That is the very thing: that you can engage hundreds into a conversation about this topic. The idea that anyone has access to this discussion is revolutionary. If you wrote out your blog posts and sent it by mail... where would be the fun in that? Who would be able to read it? Who would be able to comment? - Alana Taylor

You get excited about the internet because you understand it's potential for COMMUNICATION. Phones, cameras, pictures, blogs, micro-blogs... these are all means for bringing people together. The World Wide Talk Show is what I recall you telling me. A man who doesn't use these tools must not be very interested in communication at all. The irony lies in the fact that he used the internet to ask you why the internet is special. I think he also answered HIS own question: COMMUNICATION. - Alana Taylor

Really good post Robert, and really interesting question originally from Bob. I get excited about the things that I write about because through some of them, we see glimpses of the future - and, it's fair to say, in some of them I see glimpses of future failures too. The thing is that without playing with this stuff, it's much harder to understand its implications. - Ian Betteridge

Geoff - Maybe Bob is ahead of the game. Maybe this was his tactic to get his name out and to be talked about. ;) heh. - Alana Taylor

Robert Scoble is a scout and explorer and he likes telling people what he finds. You need that kind of person in order to introduct and create change. Some people have a natural inclination to do that. - Mark Dykeman

I think you missed Bob's point here, Robert. He's not attacking your choices, but rather wanting to find out what could be in it for him. The alternative to not engaging in all the social stuff does not have to be getting a beer in front of the TV, it could just as well be writing a book. When I read the question I immediately thought of Don Knuth who is rarely (if ever) online, yet manages to write books and software that will have a long lasting impact. - Niklas Morberg

Niklas: no, sorry, you aren't a very careful reader. When someone says "It seems to me that all these things — Twitter, Facebook, iPhone, Flickr — are a thundering bore and an utter waste of time" that does NOT mean that the writer is wanting to find out what could be in it for him. It means he's already considered whether or not these things could be useful for him and has decided no. And, further, he's decided to denigrate those people who chose to use their time that way. - Robert Scoble

Robert Pirsig wrote a book about this wormhole called "Zen in the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence"... changed my life - Peter

A little historical context here: In late 2004 Bob Bly famously wrote a newsletter dissing the potential of blogging as a marketing & communications tool, mocking it, some would say. Great link bait and blog fodder. He then, surprise surprise, started a blog himself. Talk about built-in attention & controversy. Funny thing, he maintains that blog pretty actively to this day. I'd say he's planning to get on Facebook, Twitter etc. in about 2 weeks & just wants to make sure people are paying attention ;) - Elisa Camahort Page

Scoble: Did you know the Amish are way ahead-of-the-loop on solar panels. Almost every Amish house has a solar panel. It helps that they are frugal with power. - Mitchell Tsai

Geez, Robert, what a long winded way to answer a simple question! :-) The short answer is, "It's simply human to want to 1) know more, and 2) be known more." AWARENESS is the key. Without it, there would be no UNDERSTANDING. First comes self-awareness, which is what makes us human. Then comes awareness of others, which is what the web and social software enable in a very efficient way and broad way. Lastly, it's helping others to become (more) aware .. by blogging, friending, writing books, going to conferences, etc. This is the virtuous cycle of BEING HUMAN! Anyone, who doesn't get this is simply not living up to his/her full potential. - Lawrence Liu

I'd say: "Bob, 5 billion years have working to make this neat little box. Wanna peak inside?" - phil baumann

Thanks for the great article. Already added the MarsPhoenix Twitter feed and other related RSS feeds. - Bill Bittner

Not everyone wants to keep in touch with the latest technology. Some folks just want to sit on a stoop and watch traffic. I don't understand that but I respect their choice. - Morton Fox

I posted my comment to your blog, but here's a snippet: It all boils down to this: We must *master* our productivity tools (technology included) in order to maximize production of our quality work in a time manner. So how do you use technology to accomplish this? Are you an advanced user that has figured out how to organize, sort, filter and glean the best data from all your tools? The person who is best capable of using each tool with mastery, will achieve the highest productivity ratio. - Susan Beebe

Great post Robert whether Bly is real or not - people often miss that this is NOT about technology but about connections and learning and PEOPLE. Alas, the problem today for folks like you and I who just freakin love learning new stufff is that well -we have SO many opportunities from so many people thanks to the tech! Well said Lawrence!! - deb schultz

http://bly.com/blog/?p=333 that's the link to Bob's blog post about this very letter he sent you Robert. - James Dasher

Great post Scoble...keep going after the interesting conversations! - Mack D. Male

I *just* had a chance to read the actual article. I don't know Bly, but I couldn't disagree with him more. Your response was dead on. I think Bly has missed the point that these are just tools. I also think his response is like writing in to Car & Driver and telling them they have too many articles about automobiles. - Ha3rvey #teamMonique

Defining a choice not to use (or more properly) _venerate_ networking tools as "ignorant" is part of the problem. You assume that everything happening in the world is happening in these environments. It is not. And if you really are sitting on a couch watching TV when you're not on Twitter, you ARE missing out. When I was off Twitter yesterday, I was eating ice cream with 5-year-old nieces reading them a story. and being wrestled to the ground by them. I hope your son can look forward to such memories. - Shelly Brisbin

It's the same old story over and over again. Some will fight against new technology (tools), kicking and screaming all the way. Others will adopt and improve. At some point the tools that make it will have been subsumed into mainstream and we'll laugh about the early resistance. Telephone, yes, and railroad... come to mind. Is social networkiing here to stay? Who knows? But why condemn it without trying it out? - Alexander von Halem

Two things that have really stuck with me from this article over the past couple of days: "Whenever I am faced with a productivity problem I ask myself “what do I want to get out of life?”" which is damned good advice. It might seem selfish but I now think that you can't ask yourself this enough. Too many people go through life doing things they don't want to do just because they ask themselves the wrong questions. Start asking this one. - william douglas watson

The second thing which I find infinitely for powerful than the first: "The real thing I’ve been doing for more than eight years now is to try to arrange my life so that I have an interesting conversation every day with someone interesting." What an awesome life you have made Scoble. The fact that you have come to a point in your life that this is a feasible goal is just awesome. Wow. Thanks for the inspiration. - william douglas watson

I think my answer to Bob Bly would be this: 'I was a copywriter. Then, while following Robert Scoble's Microsoft blog, I found out about tablet pcs. And have since become a visual facilitator, earning approximately twenty times more per gig than I ever did as a copywriter. Social media is the most powerful learning tool I've ever dealt with.' (Thanks for turning me onto tablet pcs, Robert.) - Roy Blumenthal

To me it seems that Bob Bly just wants to hold on to the wistful memory of how things were...freeze time, so to speak. And no matter what you tell him and how you do it, it's not going to make an iota of a difference. What for him is waste of time, is for you a dive into worlds unknown. What for you is old school and ignorance, is for him blissful existence in a world as tangible as the cup of coffee (or tea) he holds. And never the twain shall meet. - Mansi Bhatia

Great discussion. I started to comment, but it got too long, so it wound up here: http://philcrissman.com/2008... - Phil Crissman